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Rockies, Tracy part ways after 98-loss season

ByTroy E. Renckand Patrick Saunders The Denver Post

Posted:
10/07/2012 10:58:49 PM MDT

Updated:
10/07/2012 10:58:54 PM MDT

DENVER -- When the Rockies abandoned convention on Aug. 1, the chances of Jim Tracy remaining as manager decreased dramatically. As the newly appointed director of major league operations, Bill Geivett moved into the clubhouse, his desk, coffee maker and eraser board roughly 40 feet from Tracy's office in a conference room at Coors Field.

In the end, it wasn't one issue that prompted Tracy to resign Sunday, walking away from $1.4 million to manage the team in 2013, but a confluence of factors that began to manifest over the final two months following the dramatic front-office shift.

"Let me put it to you this way, I really don't feel that I am the right man for the job any longer. A lot of situations have changed since I was first asked to manage this club. It changed quite a bit from May 29 (2009) to the present," Tracy said late Sunday in a phone interview. "I am not the right man for this position."

Tracy's stunning decision to resign leaves the Rockies waking up this morning conducting their first managerial search since Jim Leyland resigned following the 1999 season.

Rockies bench coach Tom Runnells and Triple-A manager Stu Cole are in-house candidates with the search likely to expand soon. Veteran slugger Jason Giambi would retire as a player if he was considered, according to a source close to the player."Jim Tracy's resignation is something I truly regret," said all-star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. "I always believed he would have a chance to be with us next year.

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Players felt it was possible after Tracy's team meeting last Wednesday on the final day of the season. They weren't naive to his challenges and frustration all summer, but saw a man that appeared ready to embrace the difficult challenge ahead.

Tracy made it clear he wanted to come back, but not unconditionally. He met with Geivett for several hours on Friday, a sweeping evaluation of personnel and his role going forward. Geivett asked Tracy to return, but the first hint Tracy was uncertain surfaced when the two couldn't reach a resolution Friday and didn't speak Saturday.

The Rockies gave Tracy time to think about things, telling him they could wait to hear back from him early this week. Instead, Tracy picked up a phone early Sunday afternoon and told Geivett he was stepping down.

"I was surprised. Knowing Jim as long as I have it was not something I sensed would happen, " said Geivett.

Tracy had concerns even before Friday's long discussion. He wondered about the team's direction, his authority being usurped and the lack of input on who his coaches would be. Major changes on the coaching staff are expected. Tracy declined to get into specifics on Sunday on what caused him to leave.

"This was probably the most difficult decision I have ever had to make," Tracy said. "A close second would be the decision when I took the job because of the circumstances at the time." Tracy was then a bench coach for Clint Hurdle, who was fired.

The Rockies could replace as many as three coaches, including both pitching and hitting instructors. The club has asked for permission to speak with Marlins scout Mark Wiley regarding the new director of pitching operations position. Wiley, if hired, would likely have input on who the big league pitching coach would be. If Bo McLaughlin is not retained, Bob McClure, who spent several years in Triple-A Colorado Springs before serving as the big league coach for the Royals and Red Sox, could be a candidate.

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